Belgeo Revue belge de géographie 1-2 | 2005 Human mobility in a globalising world The immigration model of Sardinia, an island and a border region Modèle migratoire en Sardaigne, région insulaire et frontalière Maria Luisa Gentileschi Electronic version URL: http://journals.openedition.org/belgeo/12526 DOI: 10.4000/belgeo.12526 ISSN: 2294-9135 Publisher: National Committee of Geography of Belgium, Société Royale Belge de Géographie Printed version Date of publication: 30 June 2005 ISSN: 1377-2368 Electronic reference Maria Luisa Gentileschi, “The immigration model of Sardinia, an island and a border region”, Belgeo [Online], 1-2 | 2005, Online since 03 November 2014, connection on 05 February 2021. URL: http:// journals.openedition.org/belgeo/12526 ; DOI: https://doi.org/10.4000/belgeo.12526 This text was automatically generated on 5 February 2021. Belgeo est mis à disposition selon les termes de la licence Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International. The immigration model of Sardinia, an island and a border region 1 The immigration model of Sardinia, an island and a border region Modèle migratoire en Sardaigne, région insulaire et frontalière Maria Luisa Gentileschi Introduction 1 In a recent public address, the President of the Sardinian Government described the island of Sardinia as a Mediterranean corridor, stressing the need for this role to be adequately recognized by the European Union, and for the provision of sufficient financial resources to enable the region to fully undertake this role. This could be accomplished in various ways: the transit of gaseous hydrocarbons imported from Algeria, Cagliari’s container port, tourism and international cooperation with the countries on the southern shores of the Mediterranean. The Regional Law 19/96 was intended to provide the autonomous government of Sardinia with a tool for promoting relationships between North and South, channelling at least part of these across this region, with a view to creating a new role for and new development opportunities in Sardinia. 2 In actual fact, in spite of its position, Sardinia appears to stand apart compared to other regions of mainland Italy and its islands as far as international migratory flows are concerned. The island has no direct frontiers with other European countries from which immigrants arrive such as Liguria with France and Friuli-Venezia Giulia (but also Veneto) with the Balkan peninsula. The entire Adriatic coast is far more exposed to the inflow of European and non-European immigrants, so much so that it has been named the “Adriatic frontier”. Sicily continues to be a region of both destination and transit for people arriving from Tunis. By contrast, no nation lies beyond the Sardinian Sea whose peoples look to Sardinia, and hence to Italy as a destination. 3 However, there is one aspect of this role as a Mediterranean corridor that Sardinia has already fulfilled and that is in the transit of immigrants from and to North Africa, via the Tunis-Trapani-Cagliari boat crossing, an ancient shipping route established in the Belgeo, 1-2 | 2005 The immigration model of Sardinia, an island and a border region 2 19th century that now operates once a week (fig.1). Recently small inflows of immigrants, also coming from France1, have been observed to arrive via this route. Nevertheless, more important is the connection with Africa or with Asia through various international airports. Figure 1. Permit holders from UE and non UE countries, 31/12/01, in the regions of Italy. Sea - land links from France to Tunis, through the islands of Corsica and Sardinia are indicated. Itineraries: 1. Marseille - Ajaccio - Bonifacio - Santa Teresa Gallura (on certain days: Marseille - Propriano - Bonifacio - Santa Teresa Gallura); 2. Toulon - P. Torres; 3. Nice - Calvì - Bonifacio - Santa Teresa Gallura; 4. Ventimiglia - Genova - P. Torres; 5. Ventimiglia - Genova - Cagliari; 6. Cagliari - Trapani - Tunisi; 7. Olbia - Genova. Source: Dossier Caritas 2001 4 Thus with respect to migratory flows Sardinia is a border region (with Corsica and hence with France) and a transit region (via the connection with Trapani, for Tunisia which geographically is the nearest country after France, and the connection via Fiumicino international airport). Everything that influences the Maghrebian community in France thus also becomes significant for Sardinia. While the contact with Corsica and Tunisia has clear geographical ties, less clear is Sardinia’s position as a destination region for flows from mainland Italy. In fact, the Rome region and northern Italy are preferred destinations for immigrants arriving at Fiumicino. Immigrants must have a specific reason, some tie or an already established connection to choose Sardinia as a destination. The island is not a natural hinterland of Rome for foreigners arriving from abroad. Belgeo, 1-2 | 2005 The immigration model of Sardinia, an island and a border region 3 5 Trade, the main activity of third world immigrants in Sardinia, relies on imported goods brought over from mainland Italy. In this case, preferential routes are followed: a daily ferry service links Cagliari to Civitavecchia port, close to Rome – where traders purchase their goods – and every Thursday a ferry departs from Naples – another supply source – to Cagliari, thus closing the circle that puts the retailers residing in Sardinia in contact with the Chinese and Pakistan wholesalers with premises near to the Stazione Termini (Quartiere Esquilino) in Rome and with the numerous wholesalers in Naples2. 6 Thus, Sardinia is a border region, just like Sicily – in that it has one or more ports that provide connections with foreign ports – but rarely a region of final destination, like Lombardy and Latium. Other frontier regions in Italy are instead both regions of destination and of transit of migratory flows. The earliest studies (Bottazzi, Milani, Puggioni, 1988) showed Sardinia to be a transit region. Sicily is also a transit region but is at the same time a region of destination especially for Tunisians, who have settled in various places, mainly in Trapani and nearby. Thus, few immigrants settle in Sardinia, in the first place because of its peripheral geographical position and the few direct international connections and also because those who arrive proceed to other destinations as the island offers few employment opportunities. With few exceptions, clandestine immigrants do not attempt the crossing from North Africa to Sardinia. However, many immigrants arrive in Cagliari via Ventimiglia – Genova – Porto Torres – Cagliari. Recent research on the high turnover of non-Europeans (especially Senegalese) has nonetheless shown that Sardinia is to a minor extent a region of destination. Numbers and nationality 7 Up to December 2001, European and non-European residence permit holders in Sardinia numbered 11,265 (end 2002, 11,737), 0.8% of the total number of temporary residents in Italy, whereas the island’s resident population accounts for 2.8%3. Temporary residents account for 0.7% of Sardinia’s population, against 2.9% for Italy as a whole. Added to this are perhaps 2-3,000 clandestine immigrants, according to Caritas. As can be observed, relatively few foreigners live in Sardinia, classified as the fourth last region in Italy in absolute terms, so the problem of managing migratory flows and integration of migrants is much easier to cope with. 8 Furthermore, unlike the rest of Italy, where the number of foreigners is increasing noticeably (+ 11% between December 2000 and December 2001), in Sardinia it tends to decrease (178 less compared to 2000, and 696 less than in 1999, but also a slight increase between 2001 and 2002). On the other hand, new arrivals on the island in 2001 were 3,407, equal to 30.2% of the soggiornanti (temporary permit holders), slightly more than double, the national average of 18.8%. This figure was higher only in Puglia (39.5%), Molise (34.5%) and Trentino – Alto Adige (34.9%). However, new arrivals accounted for just 1.5% of the total number of soggiornanti in Italy. The above regions are also ports of entry, Puglia and Molise for foreigners arriving at ports in Puglia, and Trentino – Alto Adige for those coming from central – Eastern European countries. 9 Thus it would appear that Sardinia has become, to a minor extent, a port of entry. In actual fact, abrupt minor variations and certain local factors that encourage new arrivals should be considered as having little significance and do not necessarily reflect Belgeo, 1-2 | 2005 The immigration model of Sardinia, an island and a border region 4 stable presence. A certain tolerance on the part of public administrations, the Sardinian people’s great sense of hospitality, and also the action of organizations, ranging from foreign and mixed associations to cultural associations4. 10 In 1986 foreigners in Sardinia were estimated in a way not to be compared with more recent datas (Bottazzi, Milani, Puggioni, 1988). Setting the number of residence permit holders in 1991, which amounted to 7,253 (1.1% of the national total) equal to 100, in 2001 this figure increased to 155, against 210 for Italy as a whole. Sardinia ranks third last among Italian regions. The highest numbers are registered in North-Eastern Italy and in the Adriatic regions (Marche, Abruzzo, Molise, Puglia). This suggests a high turnover, with migrants moving to other regions in Italy once they have been granted a temporary residence permit – moving back and forth5. Also in Sardinia few (1,409) applications for regularization were lodged by immigrants in November 2002 (one every 8 soggiornanti), against 702,156 in Italy (almost one every 2 soggiornanti). 11 It is unlikely that the new arrivals will remain in Sardinia. It has been ascertained that the numbers of immigrants in central – southern Italy are diminishing, while the regions in the North are gaining. This South – North movement occurs just a few months after regularization (Dossier Caritas, 2002, p.